The Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra knows how to entertain.
By TAN CHOON SAM
The Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) was in fine form last Friday, presenting an almost sold-out concert themed Friday Night Is Music Night.
Playing in front of a large audience at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, the young musicians dazzled the audience with their wonderful skills, proving that age is not a barrier, especially when it comes to music.
The MPYO was launched in 2006 by the late Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin, then chairman of Petronas. His vision to nurture and encourage young talents in symphonic music certainly came true that night, with the young musicians playing like seasoned professionals.
The orchestra, made up of musicians aged 12 to 27, only began rehearsing for their concert the Sunday before, making this a very impressive performance.
The Malaysia Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
The concert began wth a rendition of Calling All Workers, a march by Eric Coates that was used to cheer people who were working in the war factories in the 1940s. The upbeat symphony certainly got everyone in the mood for a spectacular night of music ahead.
The orchestra then went on to play By The Sleepy Lagoon, an elegant piece also by Coates, and Pomp And Circumstance , a march composed by Edward Elgar that can usually be heard during college or university graduations.
In between pieces, conductor Kevin Field, the founding conductor of the MPYO as well as its artistic advisor, explained the significance and history behind each symphony, being both charming and humourous with the audience. For once, history seemed interesting!
The orchestra was in full swing when they began Cornish Dances, a flowing symphony that was composed by Malcolm Arnold. They then ended the first half of the concert in similar fashion to the opening, with the English Folksong Suite march that had the audience in raptures.
If the first half had a classical feel to it, the second half of the show was anything but classical. Showcasing its versatility, the prodigious talents started off the second half with a score that is all too familiar with the crowd, playing the opening theme song from a few James Bond films. It certainly brought back a few fond memories for some of the members of audience.
The orchestra also wowed the crowd with songs from the popular play Les Miserables, including I Dream A Dream. The iconic tunes were instantly recognised by some in the audience.
The younger groups in the crowd were also reminded of their childhood as songs from the Harry Potter movies were played. The film’s familiar opening number was instantly recognised by both the young and old, bringing back fond memories of the hugely popular franchise that recently drew to a close.
With the orchestra once again showcasing their versatility, the crowd was pleasantly surprised to hear renditions of P. Ramlee’s Tunggu Sekejap, as well as Isabella by rock group Search, which was arranged personally by Field. Injecting local favour into the show certainly won approval from the audience.
The highlight of the night came from the next symphony that the orchestra rolled out, which was a medley of Micheal Jackson’s hits including Billie Jean and Beat It. It was unusual, but nontheless an energetic performance that got the crowd tapping their feet to the beats of the late King of Pop. The young orchestra certainly did justice to the music that has inspired countless other artistes.
As the evening drew to a close, the musicians started playing a symphonic version of The Pirates Of The Caribbean theme song. The crowd seemed to be able to identify all the music quite well, from the film’s majestic opening number, to the upbeat tracks that accompanied sword duels in the movies.
With the abundance of movie soundtracks played throughout the evening, 19-year-old Hardesh Singh Dhillon, who came to see the performance, likened it to “watching a movie with your ears.”
Everyone was duly impressed by the young orchestra’s work, and thunderous applause ensued after they played the final number. But instead of leaving their seats, the audience kept the applause going, prompting Field to lead the orchestra to an encore of the James Bond theme song.
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